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Thursday, 20 October 2016

"Oh good lord, enough of the leaves already!" they thought.

O.k., look. Autumn happens but once a year. I get more excited about the colour of the leaves than I do about Christmas. You don't have to run around and buy presents for the leaves. You don't have to plan a big family gathering because of the leaves. You don't have to bake ahead of time for the leaves.

I get a thrill out of seeing the leaves become so beautiful. Many, many years ago, I was in Nova Scotia and drove with a friend along the Cabot Trail which is a windy, circuitous road in Cape Breton. It was October and every time we went around another curve, it was like seeing a beautiful patchwork quilt. I know that when we retire, that is a goal I have for my husband and I, to drive the Cabot Trail when the leaves are perfect.

When I was little, my parents rented a big old brick farmhouse in the country. There was a chestnut tree with a swing and fall was my favourite time because of that tree. Chestnuts don't really put on a spectacular show with their leaves. But chestnuts are amazing! They are ensconced in green spiny coats until the fall when they drop to the ground and they start to split open to reveal a gorgeous shiny brown nut which separates into two parts. I collected many, many chestnuts as a little girl. My father drilled holes through them so I could string them into a rather chunky necklace.

When my daughter was very young, we would collect the prettiest leaves we could find and then press them flat between the pages of heavy books. Then I would iron them between waxed paper and we hung them in the window. I really love autumn.

I grew up as a child in the 70's. My parents had "harvest gold" appliances. Well, the washer and dryer were harvest gold. They weren't purchased as harvest gold appliances. They were used. My parents never bought new. The money just wasn't there. But then my father painted them. Yup, he painted them harvest gold. The kitchen was done in autumnal colours: olive green, harvest gold, rusty orange. I think earthy colours were ingrained into my soul from a young age. I am not a fan of blues or pinks, especially in decorating. But show me a warm brown, a deep gold, a dark sage green, I'm in!!

It is currently raining out. If we get any wind at all, we will lose many leaves. So, in honour of the leaves we have right now, here are some pictures I took on my way to work a couple of days ago. It was a little bit foggy, the kind of fog that hangs like individual low clouds over the land (yes, I know fog is low clouds) and the sun was starting to cut through. An ode to autumn colour, and I swear this is the end of showing you the leaves:

14 comments:

Ahhhhhhhh, so beautiful!One of my fondest memories, from being a girl In Peterborough, was going out after supper and walking the streets and kicking the leaves. The sound, the smell, the beautiful leaves shimmering in the light of the streetlights. (Wouldn't be safe to be walking a street in Peterborough anymore.)

I love seeing the beautiful leaves. I wish we had such color here. I liked reading Karen's comment too. She took me back into time. :):) I do hope you are getting to have some fun time just soaking it all in. Blessings, xoxo, Susie

Those are some beautiful brilliant leaves!! I just love fall colors too! The leaves are just beginning to change here, and it looks like it will be a lovely fall. On another note...you'd like my kitchen...the cupboards are sage green and the floor is rust colored! :)

Beautiful photos. I remember my Mom using those harvest colours in home decorating, the yellow (not gold) & green I could live with but not anything other than a jube jube should be orange (col). I have been kicking leaves on my morning walks & a few chestnuts on the ground ... it is a beautiful time of year.

We have had a beautiful colorful fall this year in the western Maine mountains. We have gone from the vivid reds to now the gold yellow and browns which are beautiful in their own spectrum. Many of our trees are starting to bare and this week-end we have a storm predicted with high winds and heavy rain - this will be the end of fall colors and the advent of the skeletal bleakness of winter, which I also love.the Ol'Buzzard

Ah, the old earthy tones of yesteryear. Harvest gold, olive green and rusty orange are certainly comfort colors. The photos are very pretty. Our fall colors are at peak now, but soon my entire yard will be a foot deep in leaves. Twenty years ago I didn't mind the chore of clearing them so much, but these days... it's getting very old very quickly.

Oh, these are just dazzling. You are further along than we are, though maybe this weekend we'll see that blaze if we can just get a little sun. Looking gloomy here, too. I love your writing and memories. They remind me of when I was a kid, pressing leaves with my mom. Such fun. I still collect some now and then and find them, unannounced, in a book during another season altogether. And I've never seen a chestnut so thanks for the good description!

I hope you don't lose all your color this weekend with the rain. I'd love to see more wonderful images like these!

I really loved this post- not only for the pictures but for the words that accompany them. I, too, love Fall. It is my favorite season- I love the sights and scents, the colors, the crisp mornings and the sun-warmed afternoons. When I was a kid on the farm we would collect leaves and iron them like you did- cut them out and hang them in the windows and sometimes we would dip them in clear paraffin. Such simple things that brought so much pleasure. Your post gave me a trip down memory lane today. xo Diana

Stunning Jenn! I think the prettiest color we saw in the fall, were the trees in New Hampshire! It is such a magical time of year and simply a gift for our taking! I so enjoyed your post and the sweet memories you shared! Hugs and blessings to you and those you love!

About Me

I started blogging because I started reading people's blogs and really enjoyed them. I have always been a writer. I've kept a journal since I was a teenager (which was quite some time ago!), I wrote stories as a child, and I think things through by writing them down and getting them out of my brain. At the moment I blog about my life without getting too personal. I get a little thrill when someone leaves a comment, so I try to comment on other people's blogs as well. So... go ahead... make my day.

About Me

I am a wife and mother of a twenty-one year-old and a seventeen-year-old living in rural Ontario, Canada. Join me in my journey through gardening, motherhood, living in a century-plus home, surviving husband projects (give me strength), and working full time. I love reading, nature, laughing, small furry animals, and a good cup of coffee on the porch (or perhaps a glass of red wine depending on the day!).